The St. Louis County Council on Tuesday backed a bond refinancing plan for the Bi-State Development Corporation, which operates light rail and bus services throughout the region.

The move, which could help fund enhanced security services, comes as the transit service is asking for more money from the county — a request that’s going to be the subject of a council hearing in the coming weeks.

Updated March 1 with comments on timeline — Since being named CEO and president of Bi-State Development a couple months ago, Taulby Roach has emphasized improving security throughout the St. Louis region’s Metro Transit system.

A New York-based engineering firm last week released its final recommendations from a eight-month study of MetroLink’s safety and security. The evaluation comes after years of claims from riders and politicians that the MetroLink is unsafe, even though data shows that crime on the system is relatively low compared to ridership.